What is the anatomy of bony fish?

The vertebral column, cranium, jaw, ribs, and intramuscular bones make up a bony fish’s skeleton. The skeleton of a bony fish gives structure, provides protection, assists in leverage, and (along with the spleen and the kidney) is a site of red blood cell production.

Do bony fish have jaws?

The bony fish differ from the Agnatha because they have jaws.

What are the three parts of the body of a bony fish?

The body of a fish is divided into a head, trunk and tail, although the divisions between the three are not always externally visible. The skeleton, which forms the support structure inside the fish, is either made of cartilage (cartilaginous fish) or bone (bony fish).

Do fish have jaw muscles?

The hypobranchial muscles of jawed fishes are straplike muscles running from the pectoral girdle to the structures of the visceral skeleton, the jaws, and the gill bars. Some muscles, such as the coracomandibularis, are specialized as jaw openers, although most of the work of jaw opening is done by gravity.

What are the external features of a bony fish?

In bony fishes four pairs of gills are covered by a flat, bony cover – the operculum. The borders of the mouth are formed by three bones. The mandible forms the lower jaw. The premaxilla and maxilla form the lateral and dorsal portions of the mouth.

Why did fish develop jaws?

The evolution of the jaw is one of the most significant innovations in vertebrate history. A jaw allowed vertebrates to exploit a wide range of food and engage in predation and defense. Jawed vertebrates arose from non-jawed vertebrates that had a pharyngeal gill apparatus composed of gill bars and slits.

What kind of fish is jaws?

Jawed fish include cartilaginous and bony fish. Cartilaginous fish include sharks, rays and, skates. Cartilaginous fishes have a skeleton made of cartilage, a material that is lighter and more flexible than bone. These type of fishes have movable jaws that are usually armed with well developed teeth.

Why is it called the bony fish?

Osteichthyes (/ˌɒstiːˈɪkθi. iːz/), popularly referred to as the bony fish, is a diverse taxonomic group of fish that have skeletons primarily composed of bone tissue. They can be contrasted with the Chondrichthyes, which have skeletons primarily composed of cartilage.

How does a fish jaw work?

Most bony fishes have two sets of jaws made mainly of bone. The primary oral jaws open and close the mouth, and a second set of pharyngeal jaws are positioned at the back of the throat. The oral jaws are used to capture and manipulate prey by biting and crushing.

How do jaws develop in fish?

The jaw evolved from repeating pharyngeal segments first present in chordate ancestors as respiratory structures, later giving rise to cartilaginous branchial baskets of jawless fishes and the bones and cartilages of the facial, upper and lower jaw, jaw support, and posterior gill or throat structures (viscero- or …